Nelson (cat)

Nelson was a cat who served as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office during the wartime coalition government under Winston Churchill.

Nelson
Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office
Held title
1940–1946
Serving with Munich Mouser
MonarchGeorge VI
Prime MinisterWinston Churchill
Clement Attlee
Preceded byMunich Mouser
Succeeded byPeter II
Personal details
ResidenceHome Office
OccupationMouser

A grey cat of undetermined lineage, Churchill first witnessed Nelson chase off a large dog from the Admiralty. Impressed by his bravery, Churchill adopted the cat, naming him after the British admiral Horatio Nelson.[1]

Upon Churchill becoming Prime Minister in May 1940, Nelson moved into 10 Downing Street and became Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. Serving alongside the then-incumbent Munich Mouser.[2] Nelson and Munich Mouser did not take a liking to one another, with Nelson often chasing Munich Mouser out of 10 Downing Street.[3] The rivalry between the pair was later compared with that of Larry and Palmerston.[4]

In 1946, under the leadership of Clement Attlee, Nelson was succeeded by Peter II.

See also

References
  1. Reynolds, Q. (1964). Winston churchill. London: W. H. Allen. p. 148. ISBN 0-394-90556-3. OCLC 948770808.
  2. "Downing St. Cats Create Problem of Feline Protocol". The Washington Post. 7 June 1940.
  3. Day, Christopher. "Churchill's feline dynasties". The History Press. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  4. Riley-Smith, Ben (2016-12-27). "Forget Larry and Palmerston, the original Number 10 cat rivalry revealed: Nelson vs The Munich Mouser". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
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